A new report by an environmental group is pointing to what it says is a clear sign of climate change: The frequency of storms in the region with extremely high rain or snowfall is up 85 percent since 1948, The Associated Press reports.

Environment America says New England leads the country in the increasing frequency and intensity of severe storms, with the weather events more than doubling in frequency in New Hampshire.

In Vermont, the group says the amount of precipitation being dropped by the biggest annual rain and snowstorms is up an average of 30 percent.

Environment America says the trend is tied to climate change. It says that when there's moisture available, warm weather causes it to evaporate faster and enables the atmosphere to hold and then release more water.